President of Muslim Organization in France number of mosques in France should double in the next two years

SHAFAQNA –The number of mosques in France should double in the next two years, president of the French Council of the Muslim faith Dalil Boubakeur said. “We have a lot of meeting-houses, unfinished mosques, and there are a lot of mosques that are not yet built, I think the number of mosques should double,” Boubakeur said during the annual assembly of French Muslims Saturday as quoted by Le Figaro. He emphasized that 2,200 mosques are not enough for about 5 million Muslims living in France.

Boubakeur added that the secular education system for imams should be created in France, hoping that French universities would open such programs. The French party Front National said in a statement that Boubakeur’s proposal is controversial, as he did not specify who should pay for the construction of new mosques. According to Front National, foreign funding of new mosques may be dangerous for national security.